Page 110 of The Devil's Thorn
I set the glass down slowly, deliberately, letting the sound of it hitting the wooden table cut through the silence like a shot.
Outside the room, I can already hear them. Boots thudding against marble. Doors opening and slamming shut. Muffled voices.
They’re not panicking. They’removing.Precision laced with fury.
That’s the difference. They’re not worried something happened to her. They’re worried Ididsomething. And they’re coming to collect.
I lean back in the chair, the flicker of the fire brushing shadows across the floor, casting the gun vault door in a soft amber glow behind me.
I don’t speak. Don’t call out. Let them come. Let them see me. Let them decide if they’re ready to do something about it.
Isabella shifts on the couch beside me, still unconscious, her head tilted slightly toward the cushions, a strand of hair falling across her cheek. Her skin glows warm in the low light, but her breathing is steady. Controlled. Like everything she does. Even asleep, she looks ready to kill someone.
Another slam echoes—closer this time. Then footsteps. Faster now. They’re zeroing in. Just took them longer than I expected.
This room is hidden. Discreet. And I made it that way for a reason. But even the best-designed secrets are temporary when the people looking know what they’re chasing.
The door finally swings open. Ash is the first one in. Gun drawn. Eyes sharp. Focused directly on me.
Kellan is half a second behind him, mirroring the movement.
Two barrels aimed at my chest. I don’t move. I don’t blink. I let them look. Let themsee.
Me. The girl asleep on my couch. My hand resting loosely on the glass beside me. No weapons drawn. No threat offered. Just stillness. And the flicker of firelight dancing between us.
“About time,” I say quietly. “You left her with me forwhat,an hour? I expected you twenty minutes ago.”
Neither of them responds. Ash’s jaw ticks once. Kellan doesn’t flinch.
“Put the guns down,” I say calmly, gesturing toward the floor. “She’s fine. She’s not hurt. She’s not yours, but she’s not mine either. At least not yet.”
“You drugged her,” Kellan growls. Low. Dangerous.
“A sleeping pill,” I confirm, rising slowly to my feet. I don’t make a move toward them. “Non-lethal. Harmless. She’ll wake up in twenty. No side effects. No pain.”
“That wasn’t your call.”
“She made hers when she slipped a vitamin into my drink and told me it was poison.”
Ash’s expression flickers. He wasn’t expecting that.
“She wastestingme,” I continue, stepping around the armchair but keeping my distance. “So I tested her back. Balance. That’s all it is.”
“That’s not balance,” Kellan snaps. “That’s playing god.”
“No. That’s knowing who I’m dealing with.”
Neither of them lowers their weapon. But I watch the thoughts behind their eyes begin to shift. It’s subtle. But it’s there.
“She’s not your property,” Ash says, his tone colder than the steel in his hands. “She’s not part of your Bratva. You don’t get to treat her like a pawn.”
“No,” I agree. “But she’s notjustyours anymore either. She chose to step into my world. Which means she plays by my rules. And so do you.”
“Bullshit,” Kellan says. “We don’t belong to anyone.”
“I don’t want you to. But I do expect you to understand something.”
I take another step forward. Not aggressive. Just enough to make the message clear.
